Sacrifice: The Orb of Hastaka
by Iced Dragon Slayer
Summary: The team takes what seems to be an easy job escorting an ancient artifact back from a remote village; all the while Gray is fighting to keep the feelings he has for Natsu at bay. However a dark guild has stolen the orb with plans to release the demon inside, Gray turns himself over in an attempt to save the others. Can they save him before its too late? (NxG yaoi)
1. Chapter 1: The Job

**Hey all!**

**This is my first Fairy Tail fan fiction, so please be kind. This story is the first in a series I plan on calling "The Artifact Series". I have all of them outlined already and so far I have four with a fifth brewing in the works.**

**Anyway, he we go with the warnings...**

**-This is a yaoi fan fiction featuring the pairing of Natsu/Gray. Please don't ask who is seme/uke, since I tend to write in the fashion where the partners play both roles.**

**-Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. However all other characters and objects (etc) do belong to me!**

**So enjoy!**

**Sacrifice: The Orb of Hastaka**

**Chapter One: The Job**

They were in front of the job board, making a ruckus as usual. She would point at one flier waving a finger frantically at the black letters. Her brown eyes were open wide as her blonde side pony tail waggled back and forth. She puffed up her cheeks in frustration.

"This one is good enough!" She hollered. "I only need to pay rent. Besides it sounds easy for high pay. 300,000 jewel!"

The boy crossed his arms over his chest. A huff left him, blowing pink tufts of hair over his forehead. The bored look that crossed his features was almost comical. Though judging by the blonde's face she found it more infuriating.

"Nah." The pink haired boy yawned, scratching at the back of his neck. "That sounds boring. Let's do something with more action. I'm in the mood for a fight!"

"Aye!" Chirped a blue cat floating behind them on white, feathery wings.

"Oh shut up, Happy!" The blonde shouted, returning her jabbing finger to the other. "You aren't allowed to pick our next mission, Natsu. Every time you pick we end up getting into some huge, destructive mess!"

"Aww!" Natsu whined. "You're no fun, Lucy!"

Sitting at the bar Gray glanced at them over his shoulder. His icy blue eyes were hidden as he kept his chin tilted down, his blue-black spiked hair causing a shadow to fall over his features. For once he had no urge to disrobe. Instead he buried deeper into the fur lined collar of his coat. A chill suddenly crept through his chest, colder than any ice he could summon. The duo may have been arguing, but he could see the truth. The ice mage had spent enough time around them to know that they shared an unbreakable bond.

He was a part of the team, shared a link with that bond, yet somehow it was not the same. Those two had fought along side each other before he was brought into their group. In a short time, Lucy and Natsu had become inseparable. What he would not give to have even an ounce of that link with the dragon slayer.

Gray had grown up along side Natsu in a flurry of fists and strange hatred. He had never been able to figure out why from the moment he first saw that pink haired creature distaste filled him. They had only seemed to interact with punches and sharp retorts, successfully rubbing each other so raw that whenever they were near each other they broke out in a brawl. It had become so routine that Gray had to admit it lost a lot of the spark for him and was now nothing more then rolling through the motions.

Then along came Lucy with all her innocent wonder and fiery personality. It had almost been hard to believe that she was not a fire mage too. She seemed like the perfect match for Natsu. Someone who dealt with his antics yet strove to keep him under control. And even stranger, she had managed to bring the quarrelsome trio of Erza, Natsu, and himself together into the 'strongest' team in Fairy Tail, a feat even the Master did not think possible.

Gray knew he should have been happy. He should have been content that all was right in his life, yet he was not. His heart hung heavy with depression as he peered over at the duo. Only his blue orbs saw no one other then the one with pink hair.

The dragon slayer had always been the bane of his existence, except now it was for different reasons. In his youth it had been a frictional hatred. Lucy had pin-pointed it as the opposition between fire and ice, and the idea had held strong for a while. He was not sure when it had started to change, but change it did. Suddenly he was viewing Natsu as a friend, a person he was willing to risk his life for gladly.

Then came that fateful nigh on Galuna Island. That fire breathing idiot had thrown himself in front of him when he had been about to use Iced Shield, not once, but twice. Gray had felt something shift inside him. A strange warmth had filtered out through his cold body and for once he knew the heat of true contentment. At first he had mistaken it for respect, though he soon found out what it really was he was feeling.

Love.

The ice mage had fallen for the fire dragon. It seemed oddly fitting if not tragically set up. Fire and ice sat on opposite ends of the elemental spectrum, yet fire had the ability to melt ice. He should have been more careful about the cold bricks he had surrounded his heart with. Love had been something he never wanted. That emotion was uncontrollable and in the past had brought him nothing but heartache. He never wanted to be in a position where he felt that kind of pain ever again.

His pale blue eyes turned away from the others now, resting instead on the drink in front of him. Ice cubes jangled about and he reached in to poke at one absently. How his ice had failed him this time. He could not stop the unsettled grunt that left him. Raising the mug, he took a long gulp.

"You won't be able to drink it away." A cheery voice spoke up in front of him and his gaze raised to the barmaid in front of him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked Mirajane, adverting his eyes from her wide sapphire ones.

His heart was pounding in his chest because of her words though. Gray had never told a soul about his true feelings, doing his best to swallow them down. There was no way she could know, was there? She always seemed so ditzy, as though nothing that went on registered with her. All things around her seemed to filter through her brain in a fractured way.

Eyes back on his drink, they widened with a sudden frightening thought. The rest of his guild had occasionally caught him watching his other team mates and had simply assumed that he was pinning for Lucy. Yet Mirajane never saw things as others did. Maybe her skewed logic had finally allowed her to see something as it truly was. His teeth were suddenly worrying his lower lip gently between them. There was no way she could know. No one was suppose to know. It was _his_ secret.

"I see how you watch them." She murmured as she leaned forward resting her elbows on the bar top. "But more accurately, how you watch _him_."

Gray's head jerked up, blinking numbly at the lavender haired woman in front of him. His lips moved but at first no sound came out. He had never voiced it out loud, and despite the fact that the other knew he still could not put words to if. One hand scratched at his shaggy locks.

"H-How'd you find out?" He was finally able to stutter.

"Easy!" Mira chuckled. "If it were a crush on Lucy you would have just told her by now. Which means that it must be something far more scandalous and that can only be Natsu. Am I right?"

Gray looked away from her again, a faint pink blush tinting his cheeks. Damn this woman and her altered sense of logic. How the hell was he suppose to answer her without damning himself? He could not just blurt out that he loved the dragon slayer and expect it all to work out. His own emotions towards the fiery boy may have changed, but that did not mean Natsu's had towards himself. The pink haired boy still tried to pick fights with him and treated him as a rival. It was a tiring and heartbreaking thing to face.

"Its not that simple." He admitted. "I can't just walk over and tell Natsu."

"Tell me what?"

Gray nearly choked on his heart as it leaped into his throat. When had Natsu crept up on them? Worse yet, how much had he heard? The ice mage paled to a point where his skin almost became transparent. The scar about his left eye stood out in stark quality. Speech fled him as his throat constricted tightly.

_'Make something up!'_ His mind pleaded with him. _'Lie, blow it off, do anything but sit there like some slack jawed idiot!'_

"I..." He fumbled out slowly before deciding he needed a moment to collect himself. Grabbing his mug, Gray downed the rest of the liquid inside before slamming it back on the bar and setting his face into an annoyed mask. "I wanted to tell you to stop screwing around and just pick a job already. I'm getting bored and you're not nearly as entertaining as you think."

Gray had to look away right after his outburst. He could not take seeing the disappointment on Mirajane's face or the anger on Natsu's. It was likely he had just started another fight which would only drive the wedge deeper between them. The pain of it stabbed hard at his heart and he almost flinched in on himself.

"What'd you say to me, freezer burn?" The expected roar sounded out behind him. "I don't see you getting up off your butt and trying to help!"

Because he was not looking, Gray never saw the punch coming until it cracked into the back of his skull. His head snapped forward, forehead cracking off the bar top. He threw his head back with a yelp as both hands gripped at the newly forming bruise. A trickle of blood leaked its way down his nose as he turned furious blue eyes on Natsu.

"What the hell'd you do that for, fire breath?" He snarled back, pushing up from the stool he sat on.

As he turned he swung out with his own fist, connecting solidly with the dragon slayer's cheek. Natsu grunted as his body was slammed to the ground. Gray stood over him for a few moment, panting in frustration. It was then he froze as he realized what he had done. He glanced down at his fist and saw the reddening knuckles. He had just hit the person he was suppose to have loved. His heart clenched in his chest. It was this distraction that caused him to catch a pink covered head right in the stomach.

His body was flung backwards into one of the long oak tables. Mugs and plates of food went flying as the wood beneath his back cracked and shattered, flinging a rain of splinters into the air. He watched the tiny wooden shards with a distant gaze as though he were miles away from what was really happening. There was always such anger in Natsu when he struck him. Gray was always able to feel the heat of that emotion in every fiery punch. And yet he still loved the idiot, still left his heart open to the wounds the dragon slayer's hatred scoured it with. He remembered once saying that it was not the scars you could see that were the worst. He had to wonder how many scars his heart held now. Maybe soon it would simply give out on him.

He laid amongst the rubble of the table for a few moments too long and suddenly Natsu was standing over him. The fire dragon grabbed a fist full of his shirt, yanking Gray's upper body off the ground as he pulled back a fist ready to punch again. The ice mage's blue eyes could only stare back at him, unshielded in his strange moment of mental weakness. Natsu paused, fist stopping its descent as he was startled by the face he saw staring back at him. There had only been one other time when the dragon slayer could remember seeing his rival look so sad, and it had been when he had been forced to face the memory of his Master Ur. What could have made the ice mage so despondent here in their guild hall? Surely it was not because of the fight they had started.

"Gray...?" Natsu spoke quietly, drawing that pale blue gaze to his face.

Gray's lips moved, about to speak. Natsu could only hold his breath as he was sure whatever the other was about to say was important. Two hearts pounded hard together in that moment yet still so far apart. The ice mage licked his lips slowly, a hand coming up to wrap around the wrist of the hand the dragon slayer was using to hold him up. Maybe...maybe he could tell him. Maybe he could share his secret with the one he loved and not face shattering pain. If only he could find the inner strength to voice the thoughts.

"Natsu..." He started. "I-"

"That's enough you two!"

The shrieking voice suddenly rattled the two men. Natsu jolted and released his hold on Gray, sending the raven haired man crashing back down on top of the broken table. He landed with a grunt, wincing as a few stray slivers jabbed into his back. A part of him was angry that Lucy had picked that exact moment to rage over. There had never been a time that he had been closer to telling Natsu the truth, that he had felt some strange sort of connection with the other. However he was also thankful for the same reason. Telling Natsu could ruin even the sporadic moments of calm and joy that he shared with his team mate. After all, there was no way fire would ever accept ice.

Lucy leaned over the mess of table to look down at Gray before offering a hand to help him up out of the rubble. He took it somewhat begrudgingly, still able to feel Natsu's burning golden eyes on him as well as Mira's sad gaze from behind the bar.

"Alright, listen up!" The blonde then grinned at both of them. "I picked us a job. Its an easier one since Erza is still away, but the pay is enough that we should each walk away with 100,000 jewel when its over."

Gray had never wanted a job more. Getting out and away from the only person that knew his secret and having something to distract him sounded like a great idea. If he had to fight monsters or beat up on bad guys then he would not be stuck wallowing in his own self pity. Brushing some of the remaining wood shards off his clothes, he raised one brow in question.

"Oh yea?" He asked, trying to lean forward to read the flier that she held. "And just what would we be doing?"

Lucy handed the job listing over to him, and he scanned the black font. As he did so, she continued to explain it anyway for both Natsu and Happy's sake.

"There's a village a ways from here, in the woods north of Onibus." She said. "There's supposedly a group of magic monks there that have spent their life guarding this artifact they call the Orb of Hastaka. Apparently they want someone to come and collect it and bring it to one of the official guild leaders so that it can be archived with the magic counsel."

"Boring!" Natsu sighed, face set in a strange pout. "If the magic counsel is suppose to take it, why don't they just send their little army there to get it instead of wasting our time?"

Gray frowned as he read the words on the flier. He had to admit it did sound rather easy for such high pay. Usually harmless escort jobs did not pay more then 100,000 jewel for even long distance runs. Not to mention that objects that were archived by the magic counsel instead of destroyed were more often then not dangerous. Why was it that this small group of monks were reaching out to just any group of wizards to handle it? And why were they paying so much? There was something off about the job, yet he could not seem to put his finger on it.

"Too bad!" Lucy snapped back at Natsu. "Its my choice this time and I say we're taking this job. The payment will keep me safe for the next month and a half, which is probably how long it will take us to get through your next insane job pick."

Gray folded up the paper and slipped it into his pocket, deciding not to worry about it. Any job was good with him. A distraction was a distraction and he was itching for any kind. His pale blue eyes moved towards the bar, catching a last glimpse of Mirajane's sorrowful gaze. For some reason it sets his teeth on edge and he snapped his head away, jaw clenched. He needed to get out of there. Turning to walk away, he raised a hand over his head and waved it at his two arguing team mates.

"Fine." He muttered towards them. "I'll meet you at the train station tomorrow at noon."

Gray shoved his hand back in his pocket, wanting to find a place where he could sit away from prying eyes. His heart hung heavy and he just wanted to be away from people. Ignoring the stares he could feel burning into his back, the ice make mage simply walked away with hopes to start rebuilding the walls around his heart.

**-And there you have it, Chapter One. I know its a bit short, but it was mainly set up for the start of the job. Things will start to get more interesting in the next chapter!**

**Please review if you enjoyed it! Reviews help me stay motivated and cause faster and more frequent updates!**


	2. Chapter 2: What Cannot Be Said

**Thank you all for the positive feed back and the favorites/follows! **

**For those wondering, I don't plan on having Gray or Natsu being ooc in this story. He was a little in the first chapter, I admit, but that was more for set up purposes so that the reader could catch a glimpse into the heart of the ice mage.**

**Any way, here we go! Chapter Two is under way!**

**Sacrifice: The Orb of Hastaka**

**Chapter Two: What Cannot Be Said**

Gray pushed himself farther back into the cushions of the seat of the coach, eyes closed tight and mouth pulled down into a frown. His brows were furrowed tightly together, pinched in a mask of annoyance. Each time the sound of faint gagging reached him his lips would curl up in a building scowl. It was hard to believe the pink haired man sprawled out on the other coach cushion was really the same man that have saved their hides so many times. Natsu could take down people he had no business even fighting, yet a mere cart was his greatest and most successful enemy. The ice mage sighed, shoving a thin hand through his unruly raven locks.

"Just knock him out already!" Lucy finally huffed, turning her own bothered eyes towards him. "That noise he keeps making is starting to make _me_ sick!"

One of Gray's pinched brows lifted as he seemed to ponder the request. It would make things a lot more peaceful and that horrid retching sound would stop. He leaned over, casting a glance out the window of their coach to catch the sight of the small village they were fast approaching.

"No." He finally answered. "We're almost there and I don't feel like carrying him around. He can suffer for a few more moments."

Natsu made a few belligerent gargling sounds and Gray was not sure whether they were thanks or curses. He supposed it did not matter either way as they were probably delivered in the same sarcastic manner. An insult in the guise of a compliment was still an insult. He waved a hand towards the sickly boy before resting an elbow on the door of the coach and nestling his chin in his palm. Truth be told, Gray was really not in the mood for the banter they usually had on a trip.

From the moment they had stepped off the train at the Onibus station he had had a sinking feeling, and the closer they came to the remote village of Trecklar, the worse it became. It was like a shadow had been following him, wrapping its darkness around him tighter and tighter. His subconscious was struggling for light and breath, trying to tell him something but he just could not hear it. What exactly was it that was rising his hackles in such an unnatural manner? There was danger coming, that much he knew. But what kind of danger?

Casting a glance out the window his eyes caught sight of something far in the distance. It was a large castle made of crumbling gray stone. Even from this distance he could see the thick vines that were clinging to it's walls. In the center was a splotch of purple. It looked like a banner but he could not tell what was on it. A guild hall? But that could not be right. If there was a guild this close to the village why would they have sent out for help from someone so far away.

That same dark feeling skittered over his flesh and he could not suppress the shiver that rattled him. It was not from cold, but from a strange sense of foreboding. He was usually not that perceptive to such intuition but at the moment he felt that if they kept going something very bad was going to happen. His pale blue orbs glanced back towards the sick Natsu. There was no reason to be surprised. Even a normal mission was turned into a massive headache when the dragon slayer was concerned. A sigh left his lips as he settled back, crossing his arms over his chest in thought. He should have done it before they left on the job. The pieces were starting to add up, making sense of the original confusion he felt when he first read the flier.

An ancient artifact that had been guarded by monks for years suddenly needed to be moved into the care of the Magic Counsel. However a small, yet reliable party was needed, not the large grandeur of the army the Counsel surely would have sent for the job. The pay was high, far higher then it should have been for such a task, a clear warning that despite how easy it sounded there was no way it was going to be a cake walk. And to top it all off there was now a strange castle that appeared to be some kind of keep or guild hall not to far outside of the village outskirts. If Gray had not thought it before, he surely realized now that they were walking into some trouble.

He was about to voice his thoughts when the coach jerked to a stop. They had arrived. With no grace what so ever, Natsu burst out of the confines of their ride to land on all fours on the dirt outside. An excited laugh left him, that same sound that struck Gray straight to the core and forced him to look away unless he wanted the others to catch him blushing. Why was it that every silly action by the dragon slayer seemed cute to him now?

"No more rocking!" Natsu hollered out, lowering his face to rub it in the dirt. Happy landed beside him and started mimicking the motions. "I say we walk back. I'm not sure I can take another ride in that bouncy torture house!"

"You're so pathetic." Gray muttered, rolling his eyes. As much as he loved the guy there was no getting around the fact that people did not come much stranger then Natsu. "Let's go. I want to talk to these monks and figure out what we're dealing with here."

"What'd you say to me, ice cube?" Natsu snapped, jumping up and falling right into a fighting stance.

Gray watched him, one brow twitching in irritation. It was moments like this that he wanted to curse his heart for the choices it had made. The blasted thing could have fallen for anyone; Juvia, Lucy, hell even Loke or Erza. But no, it had to pick the most wonderfully frustrating person he knew. One hand slapped against his forehead before he glared back at the dragon slayer.

"You heard me just fine, flame brain!" He returned the shout. "When are you going to get over that stupid motion sickness thing?"

The two ended up cheek to cheek in a heated stare down. Ice flashed against fire, nearly dousing each other out in a steaming mess. Though it did not show on his face, Gray lived for this. Not because he wanted to fight with the one that unknowingly held his heart but because it was in moments like this when he knew that he was the only one that Natsu saw. The dragon slayer's entire focus and passion was settled solely on him. It may have been in anger, but Gray would take that over nothing.

Just as the two were about to resort to blows, a set of hands grabbed them by the back of their shirts and yanked them apart. Two sets of furious eyes landed on Lucy who only returned it with a fiery look of her own. Gray let out a short 'tsk' and turned away, shoving both hands into his pockets. Leave it to Lucy to cut the moment short. He was finally starting to feel more like himself again, bathing in the familiar heat of Natsu's antics while on a job.

"If you two are finished, we have company." She muttered, turning her head to glance over her shoulder.

Gray and Natsu leaned over to see what she was talking about. Standing behind them was four men in long, dark maroon robes. Each ones' head was shaved completely bald. Around their necks hung a string a large, sky blue pearls. From those hung a pendent with the seal of their order. There was no doubt that they were the monks that they had been sent to help. Gray had to admit that he had not expected a welcoming party.

He frowned suddenly. Something was wrong. The monks all bore a strange expression, as though something weighed heavily on their shoulders. They should have been excited that the help they were willing to pay so much for had finally arrived. So why did they all look so glum? Gray glanced towards Lucy and Natsu and saw they shared the same confused expression that he did. So they too had noticed the strange behavior of the quartet that stood before them.

"Oi." He finally called out to them. "We're the wizards from Fairy Tail. You wanted us to haul something back to the Magic Counsel for you, right?"

The tallest and oldest of the monks stepped forward now, bowing his head low enough that they could look at the back of his skull. His entire frame trembled as if the action caused him a struggle. Though it was entirely possible it was just from the weight that necklace was likely pressing down on his neck. Beside Natsu, Happy floated in the air, returning the bow. Ah, what it must be like to be simple of mind.

"I am Elder Teaga." The man whispered softly. "We of the Trecklar Monks are glad that you have come wizards. However things have changed. Please accompany us to main hall so that we may speak of things in private."

Gray and Lucy swapped a curious glance. There was no that this could be good. These sort of things usually mean that things had gotten dangerous and they were about to be asked to ride into the eye of the storm in order to try and stop it. Normally the ice mage would not care but he still could not shake the dark feeling that was stalking him. He nodded towards them in a slow manner.

"Lead the way."

**-H-A-S-T-A-K-A-**

"The artifact is gone."

The words cut through the room they now sat in with a heavy slash. The three wizards could only sit back and blink. The artifact was gone? As in it had been sent away already? Gray leaned back with a low sigh. You'd think they would have had the decency to send word ahead that they were not heading for the same job. Though he supposed he could not blame them so long as they still had something to do and got paid for it.

"Seriously?" Lucy said in an exasperated voice, obviously thinking that it meant they would no longer be needed. "So we came all the way out here for nothing? Man...I'm never going to be able to pay my rent now!"

"Eh?" Natsu chimed in, eyes going wide as his features paled in a sudden thought. "We have to get back in that...rocking thing again?"

The two hung their heads in defeat, but Gray was not so quick to join them. Instead he leaned back in the chair, arms laying over his chest as he crossed his legs. He knew that if they were not still needed here the Monk's would have simply bid them a farewell while they were still at the coach. No, there was something more going on here. His lips pursed together in thought.

Elder Teaga had said the job had changed and that the artifact was gone. What he did not say was that they had no need for the wizards help. Which meant that even though the artifact was not here, neither was it where it was intended to go. He closed his eyes for a moment before he remembered the castle with what had seemed to be a banner hanging from it. A guild hall so close yet not asked for help, the high reward for a simple job, and the secrecy needed that the Magic Counsel's army could not provide; all the pieces finally fell together in his mind and made sense. His pale blue eyes slid open as he peered across the table at the Elder Monk.

"A Dark Guild." He murmured as if it were an after thought.

Elder Teaga's eyes went wide as he stared down the length of the oak table at the ice mage as though he did not understand his words. Both his large hands gripped tightly at the edge of the table. His body leaned forward as his black eyes could only gape at Gray.

"How did you know?" He asked in a quiet but shocked voice.

"I felt something was off about this from the moment I first read the job posting." He shrugged carelessly as he answered. "It just took me this long to gather all the pieces. I thought it seemed strange how much you would be willing to pay a guild to do work the Magic Counsel would have done for free. Then I saw that castle from the coach with the banner hanging out front. I knew that if you had an official guild that close there was no way you would outsource so far away. So they must be a Dark Guild that moved in recently which is why you wanted the artifact suddenly and quietly removed from a place that its rested for what I assume to be a long time."

Teaga only continued to sit in astonishment for a few moments. It was obvious that he had not expected any of them to put it together. Had it just been Natsu and Lucy on the job that would have been more likely, but Gray was always one to think a little more about what was going on around him. He would not call himself a genius by any stretch of the imagination, yet compared to his current teammates that might not be a totally inaccurate idea. Lucy had a fierce heart and would often run into situations that were too dangerous for her for the sake of a friend, and Natsu had a fiery loyalty and power that still continued to shock him, but neither were hard thinkers. Gray usually did not voice is own inner monologue though as Erza was usually around to speak it out loud and save him the trouble of trying to explain a plan to Natsu.

"Seriously?" Said Dragon Slayer piped up now, rising from his seat in excitement. His lips curled up into a feral smile as he raised a fist up, a bright flame flickering over the flesh. "Does that mean we actually get to kick some butt on this job? Alright!"

A low whine left Lucy as she sagged forward in her chair. "I just wanted an easy job for once!"

Gray cast an annoyed glance towards Natsu. He wanted to know what was really going on here. The picture was pretty much filled out for him now but he still wanted all the details that had been left out. But with the squealing noises Natsu kept making there was no way the Elder would be able to get a word in. Without thinking, Gray grabbed a plate up off the table and hurled it at the bouncing pinkette's head.

"Will you shut up, dragon breath!" He roared. "Let the man talk so we can find out what we _are _supposed to do!"

Natsu let out a strangled sound as the plate connected with the back of his head, sending him staggering. One hand came up to rub at the sore spot for a few moments before he whirled around, golden orbs glaring back with a fire. He slammed a hand down on the table and pointed a finger towards his attacker. Inside, Gray felt as though everything had been turned to liquid. Why did he keep hurting Natsu? At this rate he would never be able to ever speak the truth. Though did he want to? Ignorance he could handle, rejection would be another story.

Still he basked in the warmth of the gaze on him. Once more he had become the center of Natsu's universe. There was nothing else that mattered to the dragon slayer right now but himself. It may have been a false sense of belonging but the ice mage would take it. He would throw himself into the fire of that gaze and let it sear his flesh until their was nothing left but the exposed soul that longed for him. His heart beat faster as he glared back, his face its normal mask of annoyed anger despite the different type of inferno that roiled about inside him.

"What do you think we're supposed to do, ice cube?" Natsu shouted back. "Bad guys stole the artifact so we have to go beat them up and get it back! Oh yea, I'm getting fired up already!"

"Do you even know what the artifact looks like, you idiot?" Gray roared back, now on his feet as he leaned over the table to bring himself closer to Natsu. Cheek against cheek he entangled them in an angered dance that offered him the pleasure of the feeling of that warm flesh against his coldness. "Or did you just plan on carrying everything in the castle back with you?"

"And so what if I was? The job would still get done!"

"You don't even know what the artifact does! It could turn you into some kind of animal when you touch it!"

"Yeah right, like that would happen!"

"You're right because any animal is smarter than you!"

"What was that, you perverted icicle? You wanna take this outside?"

"Let's go!"

"_Guys_!" Lucy's shout finally stopped the duo's argument and still pressed together they turned to glare at her.

"_What_?" They shouted back at her in unison.

"Shouldn't we be listening to the Elder?" Lucy flinched back under the intense power of both their glares. The blonde knew they would never hurt her but that did not mean that the power of their combined glare was not frightening. She reached out and pulled Happy into her lap in case she needed to use the little furball as a shield.

"Ooo." Happy suddenly giggled, raising one paw to his mouth as he pointed at Natsu and Gray. "They're in looove!"

It was a normal taunt from the small blue creature, one that was often ignored. This time though it sent a jolt straight through Gray. It was a second time in two days that someone had some how managed to blurt out his secret. Even though Happy was only having a jest at their expense, the unknown truth behind those words hit way too close to home. Gray felt his heart seize up in his chest as the blood drained from his face, leaving it as white as his over coat.

To make matters worse, he felt Natsu shove him away with a loud laugh. His anger had suddenly been defused, though mood swings were not uncommon with the dragon slayer. Gray teetered backwards. He had not expected the push any more then he had expected the stab of pain that left him feeling hollowed out inside. His body slumped back down into his chair as his legs refused to hold him up any longer.

"Don't be weird, Happy." Lucy muttered, shoving the cat off her lap.

Gray only stared ahead blankly, out of touch with reality for the moment. That shove. The very idea of their being love between them had caused the dragon slayer to shove him away. Had the ice mage ever needed proof that he and Natsu could never be, there it was. The mention of emotion outside of hatred or anger and the pinkette could not break contact quick enough. Gray lowered his chin to let his bangs fall over his eyes and hide them from the other two. He did not want them to see the pain that simmered in the pale blue orbs as he fought against the wretched feeling of a pseudo-rejection.

Because of this position he did not see Natsu staring at him strangely. The fire dragon was all caught up in confusion again. One moment things were going along like normal and then next Gray was acting off again. He got into fights with the ice mage all the time and the man never seemed to get so depressed afterwords. That was always what Natsu liked about their relationship. They could fight like cats and dogs and yet still be friends. So why was it that recently Gray seemed to be avoiding confrontation with him? And even more so that when he did fall into a spat with Natsu he almost seemed to loose his spirit the moment it was over? The dragon slayer wanted to talk to him, but now was not the time.

"Sorry." Gray muttered after a few moments of his odd silence. His chin lifted finally and almost blank blue eyes appeared to look at Teaga. "Please explain what is really going on here."

The Elder was sitting stiffly in his chair, eyes open wide in shock still over the near fist fight between two of the wizards he meant to hire. The trio had to figure this was the first time they had actually dealt with wizards from an official guild. Lucy liked to say often that Fairy Tail was full of weirdos, but as far as Gray had seen most guilds were filled with less then sane members. The old man collected himself quickly enough though when he realized the argument had been defused and nodded slowly.

"This village had stood here for nearly 400 years." The Elder began. "It was named after the monk who started our order, Master Trecklar. At one time he was a brave and powerful wizard that led his own guild. They were a strong lot, much like your own Fairy Tail. They had earned the love of the villagers and made their home in the castle to the north. For the longest time they were happy. Until the demon showed up.

"It was a creature of great and horrid power, thought to be one of Zeref's own demons. It terrorized this village and because of its deadly magic no wizard, no matter how powerful could stop it."

Gray had gone stiff in his seat in his seat at the mention of a demon. He had stood against and defeated one with Natsu and Erza yet the idea of them still needled at them. It always brought him rushing back towards his childhood and events he wished he could keep buried. He may have faced the events of his past but he by no means forgot them, nor would he forgive the idea that they had been his fault. His gaze turned back down towards the table. Another demon, wonderful.

"Demons?" Lucy squeaked, looking away. "We don't have to fight some big ugly freak do we?"

"No." The Elder shook his head slowly. "There is more to the tale. This demon had the ability to drain the magic from a person and use it against them. All he had to do was touch them to absorb it straight from their body. So many of the guild fell against it's might. Soon they were a mere shadow of what they had once been.

"Their Master had to come up with someway to stop the beast or it would roam the world draining magic from everything and leaving nothing but wastelands behind it. He knew he only had one true choice on how to do that."

Gray's hands curled into tight fists on his thighs. This story was just to hauntingly familiar and he knew what was coming up next. His eyes burned with the threat of tears as his own tale assaulted his mind with bitter memories. A creature born of hate with no desire but to spread sorrow, a beast of such strength that it was free to do as it wanted with no fear of one being strong enough to stop it. There was only one way to halt a demon like that.

"He sealed it away." He whispered, voice coming out thicker then he would have liked. "They couldn't kill it so they simply wrapped it up in the hopes that it would never hurt anyone again."

The Elder offered a soft, but sad smile. It was easy for the monk to see that this boy had faced similar devastation in the past. Teaga almost wished at the moment that it had been anyone else that had answered the job request other then this ice mage. He knew better then anyone else that the despair of the past could impair the present.

"That is correct, young one." The monk murmured. "Master Trecklar was able to find a substance that prevented the drain of magic from a person's body. Using this he created objects to prevent the demon from being to able feed off the remaining members of his guild and together they sealed the creature away in an orb made of the same substance. They named it after the beast that was trapped inside. The Orb of Hastaka.

"The orb was kept in this village and the remaining guild members became monks to protect it. They passed down their knowledge of magic in order to ensure that nothing ever got a hold of the artifact."

"So why move it now?" Lucy had to ask the question that was on the mind of all of them. If it had been safely in the monk's possession for 400 years what would cause them to need to move it so suddenly?

"It began to change." The monk sighed, one wrinkled hand moving to rub at the large pearls around his neck. "For over 300 years it laid dormant, nothing more then a jewel. But recently it started to act up again and began draining the magic from those that were nearby. We had to start wearing the barrier beads again." The monk tugged at the necklace. "These pearls are made with same protective magic as the orb used to seal away the demon so it prevents it from being able to feed off our magic.

"We feared this meant the demon had slowly been feeding off magic without us being aware and had been growing stronger in an attempt to break free of its shell. It was thought not to be a problem because we were the only ones near it, but around that same time we realized what was going the dark guild moved into the old guild hall. They call themselves Medusa's Eyes. We had seen some of them moving around the outskirts of the village and decided that it would be smarter to simply move the orb. It seemed its rising power was drawing attention. So we decided that the job that was started by our ancestors all those years ago was best handed off to another.

"That was when we sent out the job request to your guild. We wanted the move to be quiet and unknown so that Medusa would not follow you but keep floating around our village. However they must have sensed our plan because last night three of them attacked and made off with the orb."

The three wizards sat in silent contemplation over the story for a bit. Gray's jaw was clenched down tightly, his teeth grinding together. All this time these monks had sat on something so dangerous and yet they had refused to turn it over to those that might have actually been able to keep it hidden away. Why was it that man always presumed to think that they could control demons? Too many innocent people had forsaken their lives and the lives of others for that false honor. It was a burden he knew well because he shared it. But unlike this sect he had learned the true pain of that lesson and would never be foolish enough to fall prey to such pride again. He slammed both fists down on the table now, glaring hatefully at his curled fingers.

"You should have sent it away as soon as it was created." He growled, not sure they heard him because he had a hard time hearing himself. Though that could have been due to the blood that was rushing through his head in a cold fury. "There is always someone out there that wants the power of a demon, someone stronger than you. You endangered everyone by thinking that you could hide a demon's soul behind a meager force of prayer men!"

"Gray..." Lucy whispered, pressing shaking fingers against her lips. The blonde could feel the furious despair rolling of their friend. She had to admit she had forgotten of the ice mage's own brush with sealed demons and those that strove after them.

"He's right." Natsu spoke up, his own tone soft. "You needlessly put the people around here at risk with the stubborn need to remain the watchers of the demon. You should have gotten rid of it the moment it was created and even more so when it started causing trouble instead of waiting for trouble to find it."

The monk at least have the decency to look chastised by their words. He hung his head, unable to make eye contact with the ones that he had been hoping to find help from. His weathered hands gripped each other tightly on top of the table.

"Does this mean you will not help us?" He asked.

"We'll do it." Natsu snapped at the man as if insulted. "We are Fairy Tail wizards and we always complete any job we take on."

Elder Teaga was relived to hear this. He nodded his head vigorously before lowering it to press against the table in a show of thanks.

"There are a few things we must prepare for you first." He whispered towards the trio. "We will have them ready for you first thing in the morning and you can set out to the castle. For the time being we have a small inn that is unused. You can stay there for the night. There is even a hot spring out the back that has the ability to restore and replenish body, mind, soul, and magic. Please relax there until then."

Gray pushed up from his seat without a word. His bangs still cast dark shadows across his face, hiding the twisting anger and depression that froze his soul as memories assaulted him. He was done speaking with this monk, with sitting here and acting as though none of this bothered him. Natsu was too close, his secret was rubbing against its confines in a desperate need to get out. And with the feeling of his weakened heart at the idea that someone out there was stumbling down the same path as Ur was making it harder to keep his normal cool about things. He turned away from the rest and stalked off, heading straight towards the inn they were to stay at.

That bath sounded good.

**-H-A-S-T-A-K-A-**

The steam rose up in gentle white curls against the dark black of the night sky. Grasshoppers sang soft tunes in harmony with the cicadas droning bass and the poppers trilling sopranos, twisting together into a symphony of nature. It was a soothing sound and Gray's head tilted back, resting on the stone behind him. The water lapped gently at his chest, not as hot as it had been when he had first stepped in. Then again Gray had never been one for the heat. A small touch of magic and the temperature dropped with a comfortable chill. Just the way it had been when he was a child.

A soft, sad smile tugged at the corners of his lips at the thought. Pale blue eyes finally slid open, looking up at the canvas of stars overhead. Each jewel sparkled back at him as though winking or laughing. He did not have the energy to return either sentiment. Too much had been laid on him in a short amount of time and he felt the mask cracking beneath the pressure. It took a lot out of him to hold back the memories sometimes, and this was one of those times.

How could it be that people were still foolish enough to mess with demons after all this time? The creatures had proved time and time again that there was no controlling them and that a victory against them always came at a deadly cost. They should have been sealed and tossed away in the deepest archives of the Magic Counsel, or better yet, destroyed. A sigh poured out of him.

"We're all idiots, aren't we Ur?" He murmured towards the stars. "You tried to tell me that and I didn't listen. I understand your frustrations now."

He let his eyes slipped closed again as he sank deeper into the water, now letting it lap up against his neck. Tomorrow he would have to go out and track down some demon orb to steal it back from a dark guild. One that he had never heard of before. Medusa's Eyes. He had to wonder what their true strength and power was. He could only hope they were a group of misfits that got lucky once. Otherwise this whole situation was going to be a lot harder then it would be worth.

A sudden whooping yell startled Gray out of this thoughts just as something large and pink launched its self into the water. A wave of water rippled out, splashing him in the face and knocking him back against the rock. He sputtered, wiping the water from his eyes and drawing in sharp gasps of breath to return the air that had fled him in shock. What the hell had that been? Pale blue eyes turned to the form of Natsu who now stood over him smirking.

Of course...

"Wow, this water is cold!" Natsu shuddered suddenly before leveling Gray with a suspicious glare. "You put ice cubes in here or something?"

"I like it cool." Gray scowled back at him, once more lowering himself until the water rippled around his chin while he spoke. "Deal with it, you pyro."

Gray was not sure how he was suppose to handle this. Here he was, stark naked in the bath, something that normally did not bother him in the least. Yet before him stood a naked Natsu with that cheesy grin tugging his lips upwards to revealed his stubby fangs. It was nearly too much, like a dream come true yet twisted into a nightmare. His pale blue eyes could only watch as the sparkling tear drops cascaded down the toned muscles of the dragon slayer's abs. As a strange heat rushed through him to rest in his stomach he lowered his orbs to let his hair hide them again.

"Let's add some warmth to this!" Natsu called out and suddenly the water around him began to grow warmer.

Gray shifted in discomfort as the temperature outside began to rise to match his internal warmth. He did not have it in him at the moment to yell at the dragon slayer for ruining his nice cool bath. Instead he started to wade back towards the edge, planning on getting out and getting away from this situation before it got out of hand. Just as his hand was about to grip the stone edge, he felt a grip on his shoulder and was whirled around to face the curious eyes of Natsu.

"Do you hate me, Gray?" The dragon slayer asked in a serious tone, his face a mask of confusion and hurt that tore at Gray's very being.

"W-why would you ask me something like that?" The ice mage tried to struggle out of the pinkette's hold as his mind screamed at him to run. He could not handle this line of questioning at all.

"Cause usually when we fight you at least still look at me afterwords!" Natsu yelled out. "Now if we're not fighting you hardly look at me. Not only that but you don't even seem to put your all into the fights anymore. Its like you don't want to be around me at all. What's going on with you, man?"

Gray's eyes had gone wide as panic clawed its way through him. He had not figured Natsu would be that perceptive towards things. His chin lowered again, turning his gaze away from the dragon slayer as though he could not bare to look at him. He knew he needed to answer the guy, but his mind was whirling to quickly to focus on anything. It was not like he could just come out and say it was because he loved the guy and being near him with out being able to be with him was torment and the only way he could get through it was to block the man out.

"Nothing is going on with me." He almost growled the words out as his frustration built. "I was just trying to enjoy some peace and quiet for once. So just leave me alone."

"No!"

Gray was jolted by Natsu's shout but even more so by the strong fingers that gripped his chin and forced him to look upwards. A strangled sound of desperation left the ice mage's lips as he tried to pull his head away quickly. But it was too late, the pinkette had seen the tears that had been welling up in his eyes. Natsu's fingers tightened on his chin, his own orbs becoming larger in shock. Of all the things the fire mage had expected to see in his rivals gaze tears was not one of them. He could only look on in stunned silence.

The raven haired boy did find the energy to move though. He wrenched himself out of Natsu's grip with a watery cry and tried to crawl out of the bath again. The situation just kept getting worse and worse. His heart was hammering in its confines, bouncing about his chest as though it wanted to escape. Damn Natsu! Damn that dragon slayer for caring so much in all the wrong ways. He was almost free again when Natsu finally came to life once more and moved after him.

"Gray!" He called out, one hand snapping out to grab the ice mage's wrist. "Stop trying to run away and just tell me. You know you can tell me anything!"

"_No I can't_!" Gray suddenly screamed, turning sharply and before he knew what he was doing he drove a fist hard into Natsu's stomach.

The dragon slayer was thrown backwards with a grunt of surprise. His body crashed into the water, sending up waves of it. Tiny droplets caught the light of the moon and shimmered as they spread out in an arch. Natsu snarled as he pushed up into a sitting position ready to lay into the ice mage. He froze though when he saw the look on Gray's face. Tears were now flowing freely down the man's cheeks as he stood hunched over. His arms hung almost uselessly at his sides as his chest rose and fell and heaving pants.

"Somethings just aren't that easy to say." Gray murmured before he turned and climbed out of the baths.

Natsu could only sit there in the warm water and watch him walk away.

**-And the next chapter is done, ended up a lot longer then I thought it would. Set up is complete and in the next chapter we get to some action and more angst/drama. **

**Let me know what you think! I'm eagerly awaiting your reviews!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Hard CHoice

**Chapter three, here you go! I've decided to put my other story on hiatus. I'm not sure where to go with it right now. I had an idea all set up for it and it got away from me so I'm going to bench it and replace it with a different story. Another Gray/Natsu deal based on Jonjou Romantica (my all time favorite yaoi series).**

**Sorry for the delay on this chapter. One of the girls I worked with was out with a back injury this week and I had to do a week of double shifts. Fun, fun. It shouldn't ever be that long between updates again.**

**Anywho, to those that have asked for it, here it is! The next chapter!**

**Chapter Three:The Hard Choice**

Natsu held the strange box out at arms length, twisting and turning it to try and look at it from all angles. The glass it was made from thick glass yet at the same time seemed to be weightless. He could not help but frown as he held it upside down and shook it as if something might rattle out of it. His frown deepened as he let out an annoyed sigh. Shoving the box under one arm, he grabbed at the large beaded necklace that hung over his shoulders. It was the same one that the monks had been wearing meant to protect them from the power of the orb.

They had met with Elder Teaga first thing in the morning and he had given them the box and the necklaces. He had left them with the warning that once they found the orb they had to get into the box right away. And then they were off, trudging into the woods towards the castle. The group seemed a little split up, Natsu and Happy were in the lead, followed by Lucy and wrapped up by Gray who seemed to lagging behind. The ice mage's hands were shoved deep into his pockets, head hung low.

Lucy narrowed her eyes as she watched her friend. Gray had been strange ever since they had arrived. At first she had thought it had something to do with the idea of facing another sealed demon. That his mind might have been stuck in his past once more, drowning him in a misery that he had assumed he had gotten over. It was then she had noticed the strange looks that had passed between the pinkette and raven haired boy. They would peer at each other with confused and almost hurt eyes when they did not think that the other was looking. Her large brown eyes narrowed in curiosity and concern. Something must have had happened between the two the night before, something they were too ashamed to talk about.

One time Natsu had slowed his step to try and bring himself closer to Gray but the raven haired boy panicked. He had just turned and wandered into the surrounding woods claiming he had to pee. She had been able to see the desperation Gray's face as he staggered past the bushes which was only topped by the one of confused hurt that crossed Natsu's features. She had to wonder exactly what had happened. Had they gotten into a fight that went too far? Had cruel words been shared that could never be taken back? She knew both men had a lot of sore spots that could have easily been abused by the other and a part of her feared that in enraged spat they shredded those areas.

She opened her mouth, trying to think what she could say that might fix this situation. Had Erza been here she probably would have grabbed then both by their collars and slammed their faces together, holding them there until they apologized and got over whatever it was that had them acting so strange. The only problem was that she had no idea what to say. One wrong word and she could make everything worse. The last thing they needed was either one of them being more angry or upset then they were at the current moment.

Gray kept his pale blue eyes locked on the dirt path in front of him. He was afraid to look up, afraid to see those golden eyes on him, peering at him and into him, trying to decipher what it is that actually happened the night before. In truth, he did not know himself what had happened. Natsu had asked himself to open up to him, and what had the ice mage done? He had punched the dragon slayer and walked off. One hand came up to rub through his shaggy hair as a heavy sigh left his lips.

He was a mess, plain and simple. There had been a chance for him to let it all out finally. The fire mage had asked him to tell him what was wrong and it was a perfect chance for him to let it all out. Still the idea of rejection had been far too frightening and he had run from it. His heart was breaking all over again and he could feel the pain arching through his whole being. As much as he wanted it to happen, he knew it never could. They were simply too different. Natsu was loyal enough that at first he might try and make it work just to keep from hurting the ice wizard too deeply but in the end it would coming to a shattering halt. He could not let that happen.

A sharp sound from the surrounding woods pulled him up to a stop, blue eyes narrowing. In front of him he heard a deep intake of air from the dragon slayer and knew that he had picked up a strange scent. The pinkette growled low in his throat and moved to place himself in front of Lucy, preparing for the arrival of whoever was lurking about in the bushes. It seemed his companion was not expecting friendly company. Gray took a step back, falling in closer to Natsu and Lucy as his eyes narrowed on the thick woods that surrounded them.

"How many?" He asked as Natsu sniffed at the wind again.

"Three." The pinkette answered, gold eyes flicking around as he waited for the appearance of their visitors.

Both men heard Lucy gulp and knew that she was scared. The last few Dark Guilds they came across had been no joke and had nearly taken their lives. Now that there was a new and unknown one faces them down, it was a bit unsettling. They had no idea the strength or the numbers of what they faced and it could turn out they were running into some serious trouble here. A part of Gray was now wishing they had waited to call for more help.

It was too late though. Gray felt a force slam into his chest as it threw him backwards and forced the air out of his lungs. He landed hard on his back in the snow unable to move for a few moments. What in the world had hit him? He had not seen anybody, nor anything. There had just been this strange crushing blow. He was still wheezing as he tried to struggle back to his hands and knees. A faint hum was droning in his ears as he flipped over.

A sudden heat slammed into the ground next to him, melting the snow and searing the dead grass that laid beneath. The blacks blackened the ground as Gray jerked away to try and escape the friendly fire. Leave it to Natsu to get carried away and not notice what was going on around him. Rolling a few feet to his left, Gray was finally able to jump up to his feet and shot a glare towards the raging pinkette across the clearing.

"Will you watch out, Flame Brain!" He shouted out before returning to scan the area to try and locate where these enemies where so that he could join the fight as well.

A quick survey showed nothing though. Natsu stood with both hands clenched tightly at his sides, the fist covered in bright orange flames. It seemed he was ready for a fight but there was no one that he could see. Even Lucy was ready to go, key gripped tightly in her hand and Loke standing beside her with a baffled look on his face. She did not often summon him outside of combat situations. He was scratching at his wild mane of orange hair.

Gray backed up towards the others, still looking around to try and find the source of what ever had hit him. A growl rumbled up in Natsu's throat as Loke's eyes flicked back and forth behind his blue tinted sunglasses. The bushes in front of them rustled again, drawing four sets of eyes to glare at the sound.

"What is going on?" Lucy whispered in a fearful tone. "I don't see anyone."

"I don't know..." Gray murmured and was about to begin saying something when there was another loud crack, like a blast of thunder booming through the clearing. The small group jumped and tried to duck down. It was followed by a bright flash of light.

Then there was pain, a numbing agony that tore through flesh and muscle and seemed to peel it back off the bone. Nerves were left raw and exposed, screeching with the terrible sensation of being burned from the inside out. In a sheer panic and instinct Gray was able to summon his magic for protection. An icy shield formed around his body taking the brunt of whatever hit him. It only lasted a few moments until it shattered into tiny fragments around him and he was knocked back once more. He could hear the distant cries of agony from his team mates moments before everything was swallowed up in a white wash.

**-H-A-S-T-A-K-A-**

He was not sure how long he had been out for or if he even had passed out, all he knew was that once the blinding light faded he was on his back in the snow once more. Gray blinked slowly trying to get rid of the double vision that plagued him. His entire body hurt and even the slightest twitch caused his body to thrum with a dull ache. He did not want to move, afraid that if he caused himself too much pain that he would black out. That was something he could not do right now. For some reason the ice mage felt there was something that he was forgetting, something he needed to do.

The sound of someone talking nearby reached him, the words muffled like he was hearing it from underneath water. Who was it? Lucy? Natsu? He tried to open his mouth to speak to them, to call out to them, however his lips refused to move. No sound came out, not even a groan. More voices jumbled their way into his ears. Two more. That meant one too many. Summoning as much strength as he could, Gray finally managed to turn his head to the side. The sight that greeted him was frightening.

Lucy was the first one that he spotted, her large brown eyes closed. She was not moving and her body seemed was mottled with faint bruises and raw marks. A few feet away from her was Loke. His form was shimmering, in the middle of the process of returning to the celestial realm. The carrot top's body was a mess of bloody scratches and gaping wounds. It was obvious that he had used his body to shield the celestial mage knowing that he would not die and he could save the other. Loke was always doing things like that when it came to his key holder. The lion spirit gave a shuddering gasp, hazel orbs locking with Gray's blue ones. A thin stream of blood trickled down from the corner of his lips as he mouthed something. It was hard for Gray to figure out what he was saying, but it looked almost like '_save them_'. Then he was gone in a shimmering of gold dust.

He tried to search for Natsu, needing to find the last piece of their group. The pinkette was just a few feet past Lucy, but he was not alone. The dragon slayer had three people standing over the top of him. One of the men was leaning over him with a firm grip on the boy's scarf. The trio were muttering to themselves, one of them giving the fire mage a slow shake. His sense of hearing was starting to clear up and he could start to understand what the strangers were saying.

"This one seems to be the strongest. Shouldn't we just snag him and run?"

"What about the others thought? Can't hurt to have more than one around in case something happens."

"Having too many could be dangerous. They could band together and figure out a way to escape. No, we'll just take the one. Any one of them would be more than enough magic energy for what we need. Grab him and let's go."

Gray could only watch with wide eyes as a tall, thin man with lime green hair hoisted Natsu up and over his shoulder. The dragon slayer simply hung there limply, like a large doll with no bones or muscle. It was an unsettling sight that chilled Gray to the core with a cold that burned worse than his own ice magic. They were taking Natsu, but to where and what for? He started to struggle in the snow, rolling to his side as a desperate wheeze left his throat. Not Natsu, anybody but Natsu. Gray would not be able to live with himself if he just laid there and allowed someone to cart of the one who held his heart.

"W-wait." He rasped, some how managing to lumber to his knees. The ice mage tried to move towards them, his knee crawl a lumbering mess. One hand came up, reaching out towards the unmoving head of pink hair. He wanted to beg, to cry, to plead for the boy not to vanish with these people. Yet all that slipped past his lips was another pathetic whimpering moan. "Don't..."

It was enough to catch the trio's attention though as they paused in their retreat and turned to face him. Gray felt oddly pinned under the gazes of these people. One was the one who held Natsu, the boy with the lime colored hair that was left a bit long, the citrus colored tresses falling just past his ears. His eyes were gold and peered out from under the brim of his brown fedora with an expression of boredom, as though his precious time was being wasted.

The second was a short woman with long snow white hair that fell mid way down her back in a wavy waterfall. Her large sky blue eyes were cold, as though this woman harbored great distaste towards everything. She crossed her arms over her chest as she leveled him with a glare.

The last was a tall man with long black hair that fell about his face and shoulders freely. He was handsome, with refined yet gentle features. His eyes, however, were the same color as blood and seemed to ruin the idea of a sort of fantasy beauty. Though he seemed to be the only one that looked at Gray with more then anger or disgust. It was almost as though he seemed interested in something. It was likely that he had assumed that whatever magic they had used had taken them all down and to have one of them up and moving seemed to hold some sort of allure to this man. He took a few steps forward until he was leaning over the battered ice mage.

"Don't what?" He asked.

It was a simple question, yet as soon as it was spoken Gray realized that he had no idea what he had meant to say after that. His words had not been meant for the three strangers but for Natsu. He had been pleading with the unconscious pinkette to stay here with him. It was apparent these three had some dark plans for him and he was not about to let that happen. He had to make them leave Natsu behind and there was only one way he could think to do that.

"Don't take him." Gray licked at his dry lips and swallowed hard, his throat feeling tight. "Take me instead. I'll go willingly and I won't try and escape. It will be easier on you because I can assure you if you take that fire breathing idiot he'll destroy your whole place without even meaning to."

The white haired woman grunted in disdain. It seemed she did not believe Gray's words even though they were true. They may have been spoken in a plea to keep the pinkette from being taken but one could not look past the fact that where ever Natsu went, things got destroyed. He had seen the dragon slayer take down entire buildings while sleeping. Hell, they had wrecked an entire hotel room having a pillow fight. Though mostly it was just a ploy to try and get them to leave them to leave Natsu behind.

The black haired man reached out to grip Gray's chin tightly in his thin fingers and turned the ice mage's head from side to side as though examining an animal he was thinking of buying. The cold wizard had to fight the grimace that wanted to creep up on his features. All he had to do was keep reminding himself that it was for Natsu. He would give up anything for the dragon slayer, even his own life. So instead he simply sucked it up and swallowed down any biting remarks that tried to bubble up.

"So you will go with us, no fight?" The red eyed man asked, lips curling up into a dangerous sneer. "We just have to leave the pink haired one behind?"

Gray only nodded slowly in answer. His entire mouth was dry now and fear was starting to work its way into his system. The man above him only chuckled and turned, motioning to the one that was holding Natsu. The green haired man only rolled his eyes a bit and with a quick shrug he popped the dragon slayer off his shoulder where he landed with a thump on the ground. Gray peered at him with soft eyes feeling a pang that stabbed at his heart. For a moment his eyes burned with tears. The garnet eyed man chuckled and patted the ice mage's cheek gently.

"Say your good byes." The man murmured. "Its the last time you will see them."

He moved away from Gray, leaving the ice mage to his own misery. Blue eyes moved towards the crumpled form of Natsu. The pinkette's lips were parted as fain breathes passed over them. Unlike Lucy and Loke, there was not much damage to his body. A few bruises and a handful of scratches. The raven haired wizard crawled forward, overwhelmed by the sudden need to be near Natsu, to touch him. One hand moved out, fingers stroking over a pale cheek. Natsu's nose scrunched up a bit and he muttered something under his breath. Gray could only smile at the gesture.

He reached up with both hands and lifted the silver chain over his head, letting the sword pendent weigh heavily in his palm. He brushed his thumb over the cool metal. He could not remember the last time he had actually taken it off. The necklace was his trademark and he already felt naked without out. But he could not leave Natsu without any part of him. He slipped the necklace into the pinkette's palm and closed the man's fist around it to make sure he would not drop it. The sound of foot steps moved up behind him and he knew that it was he was at the end. He leaned down, bringing his face close to the dragon slayer's.

"I love you." He whispered just before the spiking pain smashed into his head and everything went black.

**And ta da!**

**I know this chapter was shorter, but I did not want to get into a full on fight scene (not yet at least) and move into the main plot of the story and into some of the true angst and meat of the story.**

**Thank you all for the lovely support so far and I look forward to hear your lovely feedback. :)**


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